


The Second Guest

by CryptidMetaphor



Series: Heaven Knows [3]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Aromantic Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), F/F, M/M, So much gayness in this story guys, it's not pretty guys, rating may go up later depending on how I feel about what I'm currently plotting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26416762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryptidMetaphor/pseuds/CryptidMetaphor
Summary: The second guest has arrived. Time to reap the consequences of your publicity.
Relationships: Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Series: Heaven Knows [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586449
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	1. Second Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what did he do this time
> 
> you locked yourself in your room
> 
> that won't help you here

They got their second guest far sooner than anyone expected.

It was early morning, and Alastor had woken before everyone else. As was normal, everyone here was awfully lazy and couldn’t tell their heel from their elbow when their alarms first went off in the mornings. Come on, folks! It was almost 6AM! It was time to face the day with a smile!

Someone had been knocking on the door for quite some time. Probably closer to ten minutes than five. Well, if no one was going to be considerate enough to answer it, then Alastor would. Did these women want guests in their hotel or did they not? Leaving a potential guest waiting was no way to achieve their admittedly already ridiculous goals! 

Tapping on over, Alastor hummed a jaunty tune as he pulled open the door. “Good morning! How may I assist…” A confused radio whine buzzed in Alastor’s chest when he opened his eyes and saw no one there. How queer, perhaps they’d only just now got tired of waiting? Pivoting forward on his hips, he leaned out the door and glanced around. “Oh, there you are!” A smaller blue bird demon was pressed up against the side of the hotel, just beside the front doors. 

Blue feathers stood on end, and his eyes, pure white irises on white scleras, were open wide and frightened, staring at him. Ah, it did Alastor’s heart so well to see such pathetic specimens in the morning.

“Good day, sir!” Alastor reached around the door and grabbed the bird by his fluffy chest feathers and yanked him inside. With a terrified shriek, the bird tried to resist but the shadows had him by his ankles as Alastor threw him inside. “So good of you to show up. We hadn’t even finished developing our promotional material! Well, don’t be shy. What’s your sinful misconduct, sir?”

Shaking under his feathers, the bird demon tried to slink away but was caught under Alastor’s firm grip. “Uh—uh—m-murder-suicide!?” 

“Good, good! And what’s your name?”

“Spinner!?!” The blue bird, this Spinner, tried to pull himself away again, whining as Alastor heard feathers begin to rip out of his chest. “H-hey, hands off the merchandise, man!” 

Finally, Alastor released the bird and took a step back, his shadows dispersing. “It’s a pleasure, Mister Spinner! The name’s Alastor, and I’m a manager at this fine establishment. I suppose you’re here for redemption.” Oh, he couldn’t wait to see how Charlie would handle this guy. Something about this pitiful poultry screamed a kind of failure that Alastor had to see with his own eyes. Was she awake yet?

Spinner smoothed out his feathers and adjusted his dress shirt and huffed in annoyance. Then he glanced up at the Radio Demon and his face contorted into nervous anxiety. “Uh, well, sorry for coming so early. I saw those ads and after that news segment, I had to see what this place was about.”

“It’s a place for heathens like you to try and fail to make better choices. That’s all! But if you want a room, I’d be more than happy to assist you.”

Again, Spinner’s face twisted up in fear. “A-actually, if it’s okay with you, I was hoping to talk with the girls? Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to that white-haired chick, specifically? She’s really pretty.”

“Oh?” Alastor hummed in confusion, the sound coming out more like a dead air on a radio. “I don’t believe her door swings that way, but…”

He had to go wake Charlie up and introduce this Spinner to her. She was the owner, after all—

A blur of red and blonde zipped by, and lo and behold there was the princess, already accosting Spinner and bouncing with glee. “Ohmigoshohmigosh!!! You’re a new patron! You are going to have so much fun here!” 

With so much going on all at once, Al reveled in the chaotic confusion on Spinner’s face as the bird reached out to shake Charlie’s hand. Alastor strode forward and slung his arm around the princess’s shoulder, pressing her close and chuckling, “This fine gentlemen is Spinner, and I caught him behaving mildly interested in your hotel. So I did you both a favor and invited him in!”

Those big red eyes looked excitedly up at him and Alastor thought of a puppy dog in clown makeup, and Charlie jumped in glee and hugged his shoulders, unable to contain her squeals of excitement. Alastor managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. He shrugged her off, literally, and she went back to talking to this bird gentleman and walking him over to the front counter to get the key to his new room. Already Charlie was going on and on about their plans and activities.

Funny enough, Mister Spinner actually seemed to be interested. Perhaps he was just happy to be away from the big bad Radio Demon. It didn’t matter; the die had been cast and now this naive woman was already invested in this new guest. Good. Now, where was that little gray moth… 

———

She was in the kitchen, trying to make coffee. The coffee machine in their room was woefully broken, so Vaggie had to take her snobbish ass into the eternally messy staff rooms. Whatever coffee Angel kept down here was terrible but it was fresh and warm and that’s all she needed right now.

Someone had made pancakes. No one else was awake but the Radio Demon so, fat fucking chance she was going to eat that. Instead Vaggie went digging for an old slice of pizza that was somewhere in the back of the fridge. It was somewhere back there…

Goddamn it. Somewhere cleared out the fridge and that pizza was only two days old! 

Suddenly she was swept up into the air, dragging several tupperware bowls out with her as someone wrapped her up in a tight grasp and spun her around. Vaggie froze, jaw clenching as she heard a cheery voice cry out, “Vaggi-i-i-i-i-i-ie~ we’re already getting more guests at the hotel! It’s happening!! Oh, shoot.” 

Just as quickly Charlie set her down, and Vaggie took a second to try to still her rapid heart. Well—that wasn’t pleasant.

“I’m sorry, baby, are you okay?” Charlie patted her shoulder and dusted her off, her face pinched in genuine concern.

“I’m okay…” Vaggie stood up straight and offered her girlfriend a reassuring smile. Slowly, her heart would stop racing… “What was this about a new patron?” 

The concerned frown was quickly gone, replaced by an eager green as Charlie practically started vibrating. Bouncing on her toes, she spoke so fast she almost broke the sound barrier, “His name is Spinner! He heard about us on the news and he believes in our cause!! Like, actually believes in it!”

Uh oh. Something about that didn’t sound right. Clearly it must have shown on Vaggie’s face because Charlie continued off of that— “I know! I know, but I have a feeling! I really feel it this time. This is gonna be our big break!”

“I think I should talk to him, too…” Vaggie scratched her chin. A blue bird demon. Not much could be discerned about his personality just from that but all of the birds she’d ever interacted with were all pretty boys who were entitled as fuck. Someone like that could definitely try to take advantage of Charlie’s kindness…

The staffroom door swung open and with a jovial, radio applause, Alastor politely stepped in, “That won’t be necessary, my dear!” Oh, he was so waiting to make that entrance. Vaggie could just fucking tell— “Everything’s been screened and well taken care of, your input is not necessary.” 

Not necessary? “I’m the manager of this hotel. Of course my input is necessary!” Already she was up in his face, eyes glaring and smoke practically pouring out of her ears already, made worse by that smug grin that the Radio Demon wore. He was living for this.

A pair of hands gently touched her shoulders, and Vaggie flinched almost violently and spun around. Charlie took her hands away, and smiled warmly down at the moth, “Vaggie’s input is very important to the health of the hotel, just like your sponsorship. So, we’re all working together here—r-right…? We’re going to be getting along?”

Vaggie crossed her arms and glared at Alastor. Yeah, she’d be getting along if he ever decided to not be an asshole. Maybe if he’d actually keep his hands to himself she wouldn’t have to—

Once again she was swept up into a hug and her face was pressed into a big red blazer. Oh god, her eye—

“I can absolutely try, Miss Charlie,” said Alastor, nuzzling his cheek into the top of Vaggie’s head, “Who knows! Maybe I can make her smile by the end of the week.” 

Vaggie wiggled and kicked her feet, even elbowed his side until finally he let her go. Ugh, that creep. She rubbed her arm and moved back to Charlie’s side, who was all smiles as she went on and added, “Could you maaaaybe also mind how you just kinda grab Vaggie? We’d really appreciate that.” 

“Of course!” Alastor beamed, his throat clicking and buzzing. With a jaunty chuckle, he spun around and left the room, “Vaggie, dear, please don’t let those flapjacks get cold! I slaved over a hot stove just for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a hotel to run.” 

Oh this guy, this fucking guy…

Slowly, she felt Charlie’s arm slide over her shoulders. “Hey…” Vaggie looked up, her gaze already tired and it was only 7 in the morning… “It’s going to be okay, Vaggie.” Leaning down, Charlie pressed a short kiss to the Vaggie’s temple and gave her a firm squeeze. “Just give him a few more weeks. He’ll grow on you!” 

“Yeah, whatever…” Like her opinion in this hotel mattered anymore. 

“Hey Vaggie,” Another squeeze drew Vaggie much closer, and Charlie’s other arm wrapped around her shoulder. “Did you want to, I dunno, just stay here and hug it out for a little while?” It was the start of a stressful day, Charlie could just feel it, “Then we can go meet with Spinner together!” 

It took a few moments. Today was definitely starting out on a sour note. A hug session with her girlfriend was just what she needed to maybe get this day back on the right track. Finally, Vaggie leaned into Charlie’s embrace and returned it, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Yeah. That sounds okay.” 

Charlie giggled, “Okay!” and squeezed Vaggie tight, making the moth’s back pop! audibly, and Vaggie groaned. Even as she tried to sound annoyed but it was so difficult when she was smiling so hard now. 

Yeah. It was hard to not think at least a little positively when Charlie was this happy. 

“Okay, hon. I’m ready, let’s go.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> was it something you said?
> 
> maybe it was better to keep your mouth shut
> 
> but it was just so frustrating

Spinner was an odd name for a demon to pick. Certainly not the  _ weirdest  _ name Vaggie had ever heard —thanks,  _ Mom _ —but it was definitely a bit odd. Even here in Hell.

“He’s just the sweetest guy!” Charlie squished her cheeks, rubbing them in a failed attempt to contain her giddy, ecstatic grin. “I think he might actually want to change! I spent some time talking to him already. There’s, like, some actual remorse in him over what he did! I think this is the one, Vaggie…”

Yeah. Unfortunately, Vaggie had heard something like that before.

He was only their second guest, so he’d been placed in the room just beside Angel’s. Vaggie could vaguely remember telling Charlie that was a terrible idea, given Angel Dust’s reputation. She’d have to give this a chance though, before immediately moving Mister Spinner over to another room.

Ah, here it was. Room 70. She really couldn’t believe that she hadn’t met him yet —

“Miss Vaggie! Charlie!!” She flinched, teeth  _ grinding  _ together at that  _ awful noise.  _ God-fucking-damn it. Turning slowly, she caught sight of the  _ entirety  _ of that gaudy red existence of the Radio Demon, waving at her, “Off to meet the new guest, I see. I hope you don’t mind if I join you.” 

Of course he’d want to. Because since he arrived he had that dumb nose of his in just about everything they did.

“Do we have a choice?” Vaggie grumbled, hoping her tone would drive him off but knowing deep down it wasn’t so easy.

“No!” 

Yeah, there it was. She’d be more upset but she felt Charlie’s hand on her shoulder. Taking a brief glance at the touch, she turned to look and saw a warm and supportive grin curled across her girlfriend’s face.

Yeah. Okay. Try to deal with it.

Vaggie  _ groaned _ and turned to knock on the door, and tried in vain not to notice the way Alastor was hovering over her. Leaning in so close that his chest touched the back of her head. Her heart shuddered painfully, but she kept her gaze forward at the door. 

This guy didn’t even  _ like _ that kind of stuff—there was plenty of other reasons why she should be scared of him, so why should Vaggie be so—

“Uh, Al—” Charlie tried, “Could you, like—?”

Room 70 opened up and she saw him, the blue bird called Spinner. Of course, this ‘poor’ demon visibly flinched when he saw the Radio Demon first, and almost slammed the door right in their faces, but Alastor’s foot was caught between the door and its frame.

“Wait a moment, sir! It’s rude to slam the door on a lady.” A green aura surrounded the door, and it swung open into the room followed closely by an indignant squawk. “Come say hi to the managerial staff!”

Spinner had been knocked to the ground by that little display of obnoxious magic, and Vaggie could almost see the stars spinning around his head. “Oh my gosh!” Charlie was quick to hop over and kneel down, reaching to take hold of his arm and pull him up. “I’m so sorry, Mister Spinner! Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” the bird shook his head and sat up. His feathers had been slightly ruffled by that little stunt and he spent a few seconds trying to brush them flat again with his feathery hands. “So, Princess Charlotte and Miss Vaggie?” 

Charlie visibly flinched at the mention of her full name, “Actually, it’s  _ just  _ Charlie…”

“Yeah, okay.” He adjusted the collar on his dress shirt and brushed some dust off of his shoulder. “Well, it’s pretty cool that you two are doing this,” he tried, smoothing his feathery hair back, “I mean, girls as cute as you, I’m sure this place will be bustling in no time!”

Well, already this guy was getting on Vaggie’s last nerve. 

“Uh—” Vaggie took a step into the room, and held her hand out to the guy, “Sorry about  _ him.  _ I’m Vaggie, and I’m the manager at the Happy Hotel—”

“ _ Hazbin _ Hotel!”

She snapped her head around and spat at Alastor,  _ “Happy _ Hotel.” Frustrated at how Alastor’s grin only got wider at her insistence, she turned back around to Spinner and focused on him instead, “I hope your first impression of us wasn’t terrible.”

“Not—not at all actually! Just a little spooked that you got the Radio Demon here…”

Yeah that was to be expected. Vaggie considered themselves lucky that  _ any demon at all _ was willing to come by here. “Yeah. He’s kind of…” she turned again to glare at him, “our sponsor for the time being.” 

Alastor  _ beamed _ at the two of them, not doing anything but stand there and grin that yellow-toothed smile. So badly Vaggie just wanted to punch those teeth in and make him  _ choke on them. _

“I think it’s  _ amazing,” _ Charlie hopped and bounced around in place, “that the  _ Radio Demon _ is supporting our cause! I mean, doesn’t that just say something about this hotel?”

Alastor cut in, like always, “It sure does! That it’ll be entertaining when this place crashes and burns like the rest of these sinners!”

Another glare was shot at the red freak, and Vaggie tried to rescue this situation, “Look, just ignore him. We got things to take care of.” That would be a difficult task to accomplish, as Alastor was constantly emitting some kind old radio tune that was so grating on the ears. “So, your name is Spinner and you’ve been damned on counts of a Murder-Suicide.”

“Yeah, that sounds like me.” Spinner smiled, the look of his beak feeling unnatural as it curled up at its edges. Bird demons just— _ weird.  _ Even weirder, he hadn’t let go of her hand. She yanked it away, already unamused. “Oh! Sorry—uh, just a little nervous. With  _ that _ guy around.”

Laughter exploded behind her, and Vaggie’s face twisted into a snarl. “Oh, please, Mister Spinner!” Alastor guffawed, “Don’t mind me. Just pretend I’m not here!” 

Then, in true Radio Demon fashion, a shadow curled off of the ground and took his shape just in front of Spinner, leaning down and pressing their faces together before the shadow  _ exploded _ and left a garish red demon with weird antlers in its place.

Spinner blanched and took a step back. “Uh. Yeah. Look, I’ll go to your activities, but like, can I have a bit of time to set up and  _ then _ we can talk?”

Whatever smile was left on Charlie’s face faded completely, and she visibly  _ fought  _ the drope in her shoulders. “Oh! Sure, sure, yeah. Sorry for, uh, crowding you.” 

It wouldn’t be  _ crowding _ if fucking  _ Alastor _ wasn’t here. The bastard knew it too, straightening out and adjusting the lapels on his ratty coat. He was living for trying to  _ ruin _ everything they’d worked for.

“Come by my office tomorrow morning and we can get started on planning personalized activities!” Charlie’s voice was back to bubbly and happy in a flash. Nothing too unusual for her. “We can get you started on the road to redemption on the right foot, don’t you worry!”

“Yeah, uh. Thanks, ladies!” 

The door shut in their face just after. With a hum and a small, tiny chuckle, Alastor is behind the girls again and pivoting on his heel and walking into the hall. “He seems like a hell of a catch! I can’t wait to see how you girls deal with it.”

Vaggie growled and almost went after him, but someone grabbed her from behind and she  _ froze. Fuck _ , what—? Oh. Oh  _ god dammit _ Charlie. “We’ll prove you wrong eventually, Al!” 

Kicking her feet, Vaggie was able to twist herself out of Charlie’s hold. “Damn it, Charlie! You can’t just grab me like that—”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Vaggie.” Charlie reached out as if to touch Vaggie, but her hands stopped and just hovered over her. “Are you okay…?”

She took a few moments to catch her breath because god _ damn _ that was unexpected. All the while she was aware of the way Charlie looked at her, like she was some porcelain doll that was about to fall and shatter. Fucking damn it.

When Vaggie didn’t answer at first, Charlie offered a gentle smile and continued, “Let’s just go to my office and I can get us coffee. I’m sorry about all that, Vaggie…”

\--

Some guy named Spitter. Probably not the best choice of a name, but hey, who was Angel Dust to judge? Guy was his own demon and he could live with his choices.

...really though, Spitter? How could a demon get on in life with a name like  _ that? _

Well, Angel would have liked him. At least a little bit, since the bird was so easy to scare and seemed to have  _ something about him _ that was easy to tease. But the guy was already  _ insufferable.  _ Guy was always singing in that annoying bird voice that got on Angel’s every last nerve.

Even now, as he tried to get ready for a night inside, he could hear that god-fuckin’-awful tweeting that made him want to toss the guy into the Lake of Fire. As it went on, Angel found himself wondering if these broads had any cement and spare buckets that he could use. Probably not for him. Oh well —he could just spray the guy full’a holes later if it didn’t stop. 

“I hear he’s some kinda director,” Cherri had Angel’s pet pig set in her lap, gently scritching at his belly while he squealed and kicked his little hooves, “Like, at some kind of fuckin’ lowdown studio on the slummy side of town. They do snuff films or some shit.”

“Who the fuck knows?” Angel fluffed up his chest, running the brush through it again. Optimal fluffage will be  _ achieved. _ “Guy’s shop won’t last long. None’a them do, with Val around.” Ugh —just the mention of that name had him shivering just a bit. He hoped that Val wasn’t too upset after tonight. 

Maybe he should spend some night out on a corner tonight. Actually, no. Fuck that. Fuck Val. It was Angel’s day off. He set the brush on the table and spun in his seat toward Cherri, “Ya didn’t have any problems with the staff comin’ in, right?” A bit late to ask, but he really needed a distraction—and talking about that grouchy manager was always a good time.

“Oh, fuck no. They were busy with that new guest of theirs.” Cherri scooted back on the bed and leaned against the mountain of pillows, kicking a leg over the other and lounging. “I walked right through the front door and they didn’t suspect a thing…”

“That’s my girl!” Angel laughed. Yeah, these girls were in  _ way  _ over their heads with this ‘wayward soul’ hotel shit. After the news-station shit-show, he couldn’t wait to see how bad this blew up in their face. It was gonna be  _ hilarious. _

  
  


———

Sleeping wasn’t coming easy these last two weeks, at least not for Vaggie. For the last few days Charlie was watching as her girlfriend seemed to be getting progressively less and less rest every night. Her cute little moth would just kind of lay in bed and pretend, maybe for Charlie’s sake, to sleep. It was obvious, though, and there was zero chance that this Princess of Hell was fooled.

Curled around Vaggie and gently rubbing her back, Charlie tried to lull Vaggie to sleep. It seemed like a fruitless effort; it’d been a while since Charlie had seen her girlfriend this bad. She almost worried that something had happened…

“It’s just insomnia,” Vaggie tried to assure, even as she yawned deeply through her words, “I just need to fall asleep at some point tonight and I’ll be golden.” 

_ And _ it was the Radio Demon. Charlie knew that. Just because Vaggie wasn’t going to say it doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. Looking back at the clock, Charlie sighed. It was almost time to get up and greet the day and she was  _ certain  _ Vaggie hadn’t slept a wink. Maybe later today she could send Razzle and Dazzle to go get some sleep medicine or something…

“Did you want to take the day off today?” Charlie nuzzled the top of her girlfriend’s head, “You can catch up on some sleep.”

The immediate answer she got was a firm “No.” and Vaggie pressed closer to her, “We just got a new guest. I’m not just gonna let you deal with that by yourself.”

“It’s just  _ one _ guy, Vaggie. Your rest is more important…” 

“I’ll be okay.” Vaggie stretched out a bit in bed, “Besides, there’s also Angel, and he’s just been all over —”

They both flinched when the alarm went off, and Vaggie let out a sleepy groan. Charlie frowned and hugged her tighter. Yeah, she’ll be okay all right…

“Let’s get going, Charlie.” 

  
Reluctantly, Charlie let her girlfriend slip out of her hold and out of the bed. The poor moth looked  _ so tired _ and it’d barely been two days since their new patron had arrived. In fact, Charlie wasn’t sure what happened between now and then to prompt this sudden 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry
> 
> I said I was sorry
> 
> Can't you see that 
> 
> I won't say it again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being late with this one, things kept happening in life lol

“He-e-ey~!” the voice startled him from out of his drunken sleep. Fur bristling and groaning as he woke up, Husk pried his face off of the counter, sticky with his slobber. Oh, it was the spider again.

Husk  _ slowly _ sat up, not caring to wipe the sleepy drool from his face. God, what did this guy want. “Get lost. I’m not givin’ you free booze.”

“Awww, Husky~” Angel draped over the front counter and rested his weight on his lower set of arms. As a finger reached out to scratch under his chin, Husk’s fur bristled and he almost hissed at the spider. “Don’t be like that, baby cakes. You was lookin’ cute but  _ real  _ lonely over here. Can’t I interest ya in my company?”

“No.” Husk let his face  _ flop _ back down onto the counter, almost spilling his drink all over himself as he did. What did he do in life to deserve this? He knew what he did, but  _ what did he do. _

“C’moooon babe~” Angel leaned in closer and began to play with one of Husks big ears. They twitched and flickered but Husk didn’t move. “Can’t I interest ya in a free meal? My treat.”

“Mm…” Not that he was entirely hungry, but free food did sound good. “Okay. But you keep that pig away from me.”

“Aw! Lil’ Nugs ain’t so bad. He likes ya, too.”

Husk peeled his face off of the counter just as that blue bird guy walked out into the lobby. Immediately he felt the hair on his back rise. That guy--that guy…

He must have been staring, because Angel turned around as well and he beamed, waving two of his hands, “Hey there, pretty boy~ wanna come over and have a drink with me? It’s on me!” 

The bird flinched, almost every feather on him puffing up as he stumbled and tried to step back. “Uh--no thanks! I’m actually going to meet with Charlie and Vaggie for a dance lesson! They said you’d be there too, actually.”

Angel scoffed, rolling every one of his eyes as he turned back to the bar, “Pass. Those two bitches are lame. Couple’a killjoys!”

“Well, alright.” Blue bird shrugged, scratching at his stomach, “I don’t think they’re that bad, but suit yourself.” Without another word, Blue bird retreated to the elevator, slamming on the buttons until the door opened and he slipped inside. 

Husk squinted his eyes. Something about that guy…

“Anyway~” Angel ran a hand over Husk’s chest, causing another angry shudder to run through him, “Where was I~?”

Husk groaned and let his face fall down onto the bar counter again.  _ Slap! _

  
  
  


\--

Figuring out Spinner’s activities routine was easy enough. Charlie worked with Vaggie all morning to get it done and by lunch time they had something presentable they could show him. Better yet, Alastor wasn’t around so they could just go talk to the guy and get a good grasp on him.

Vaggie wasn’t sure about this guy. Sure Angel was an asshole and Alastor was the King of Creeps but the vibes coming off of this ‘pretty boy’ was something else. All sorts of badness wafted off of those pretty blue feathers like an aphrodisiac but the opposite and something that actively repelled absolutely everyone.

Well, almost everyone. 

She watched with a slightly amused smile as Charlie skipped down the hall all the way down to the dance studio. A huge smile almost broke the demoness’s face in half as they approached. It felt nice to see that, after years of seeing otherwise. Okay. Maybe Vaggie didn’t like the people who’d come into the hotel recently but could she really say that she was expecting nice people to come here?

If it made Charlie happy to see these patrons, then Vaggie could try to give this a chance. She could try. It wasnt like she told herself this yesterday and needs to continue telling herself this. It would be okay. They can manage to do this.

As long as this Spinner guy didn’t try anything. Once he did she would saw his throat out.

  
  


“So, like,” Spinner pushed up his chest feathers, tramped down by the clinging fabric of the dance clothes he’d been provided, “All I gotta do is dance around and that’s cool?”

Vaggie tied the ribbon of her ballet shoes into a pretty bow with practiced ease, and huffed at that comment. “It’s not about just dancing. It’s about finding better, more constructive things to do than sinning.” She straightened herself out and stretched her arms out in front of her, slowly moving them to stretch above her head. 

“Do you even know if this stuff works?” Spinner scratched at his stomach, where a bundle of feathers had obviously knotted up under the tightly-fitting tank top.

The question left Charlie looking odd, her smile faltering and making her glance away from the blue bird. She tried to say something, that this was honestly experimental, but she didn’t seem to have it in her to say so. She wanted this to work. It had to work, since this guy was so into it, believed them so much…   
  
“We don’t know yet,” Vaggie said. She swung her leg up onto the handrail and  _ stretched  _ herself out, already feeling her body loosening. It had been a while since she’d last had the time to dance, and now she was doing it for work. Hopefully it’d be fun.  _ Hopefully. _ “We’ve not been given a chance to really try.”

Spinner’s face fell, “Oh…” It only lasted for a second as he opened his mouth to say something else, but Charlie was already fumbling and trying to recover a seemingly lost situation.

“But! You’re here now!” she almost shouted, then quickly reeled herself in somewhat, “And we feel  _ blessed _ that you decided to give us a chance. Who knows! Maybe we can really get you into heaven!” She had just gotten her dance shoes on, ready to do a demo with Vaggie, but in her haste she hadn’t died them adequately. Vaggie stopped her rambling so she could bend down and tie them. It’d do no good if Charlie got a concussion on their first demo for this activity.

This felt a bit silly. Talking to someone who gave her such weird vibes the way Spinner did, even if it was for a good cause.  _ Get your head out of your ass, Vaggie. That’s what this hotel is for. _

Spinner finally managed to get the feathers under his shirt unpinched, and he smoothed the spot out under his palm. “So, I learn new skills and get into Heaven?”

“As long as you use these new skills to keep from sinning,” Charlie insisted, putting her hand on Vaggie’s shoulder as the smaller woman stood up from her self-assigned task, “then I really think Heaven will have to notice!”

“Well,” Spinner tapped his feet on the ground, the bare talons tip-tapping against the matts and leaving faint little pin-prick marks, much to Vaggie’s only very  _ slight _ annoyance. Slight. “Yeah, I’ll try anything.”

“Perfect! So Vaggie and I will just do a little demo for you. It’s something we’ve been working on for quite some time before we started advertising! I hope we aren’t too rusty…” she trailed off as she adjusted her tank top and leggings. “Okay. Just take a step back, Mister Spinner, and we can show you the steps!”

Spinner grinned and sat back against the wall, “Well, go on, ladies!” he said, “Show me what you got!”

Ugh. The way he said that…

Before Vaggie could continue that thought, she felt Charlie gently take her hand. She turned toward her girlfriend, that huge smile reaching ear to ear. “Are you ready, Vaggie?” 

With a gentle smile and another soft reassurance to herself that this was going to turn out  _ fine, _ Vaggie turned herself into Charlie’s embrace and decided it was time to let her take the lead. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, just forget that they were doing this in front of some weirdo, who was too into their idea of rehabilitating sinners…

They spent a few seconds just looking at each other, smiling warmly. When finally she came to her senses, Charlie snapped her fingers and down from the ceiling, two lovely winged, reptilian goats dropped down and let out cute little bleats in greeting. “Razzle,” the lighter red goat lifted his head, “please go man the piano. Dazzle,” the darker red goat smiled and flicked his tail, “Can you handle the vocals?” 

Dazzle bounced around on his hooves and nodded, quickly going to join his brother. He clambered on top of the piano and sat down, clearing his throat. 

“Cute little guys,” Spinner chuckled, the sound small and nervous. 

The first few keys played, and as the next three started Charlie and Vaggie fell into step with the rhythm. Slowly, with easy but flowing steps that swung them gently around the room. Just like that, things began to melt away. No one else was in the room but her, Charlie, and the music. 

And they danced all around the room, swinging and spinning slowly in turn with the piano keys and vocals. From here, Vaggie could feel Charlie’s heartbeat, even from here. It had been far too long since they’d last danced like this; it was just too bad it was for some weirdo literally watching them…

It almost ruined it, but Vaggie was able to focus enough on that dopey but loving smile and feel every little motion in the dance without fail. Even after all these years Charlie had that effect on her.

As the song crescendoed, Charlie swung Vaggie around and dipped her down low. Vaggie held onto her in a loose embrace, and as the song ended they were brought out of their self-inflicted entrancement by the sound of Spinner’s soft, feathery hands clapping.

“That was amazing!” he cried, grinning ear to ear(?). “God, that was superb! I’d score that a solid nine outta ten!” 

Who was this guy, some sort of scouting agent? Ugh. Vaggie had seen enough of them for a lifetime. “Anyway…” she pried herself out of Charlie’s hold and adjusted her sweats. “That was just a demo. We’ll be working on a routine for you during the week.”

“That’s amazing! When can we start?”

Charlie returned his grin, smiling even wider like it was some kind of competition. “We can start tonight! Hopefully by then Angel Dust can join and you’ll have a dance partner!” 

Like he’d been slapped, Spinner balked and his smile fell. “Angel Dust? That porn star, right?” 

_Well, here we go._ Vaggie huffed and crossed her arms, furrowing her brow at the bird. “Yeah. He’s a patron here too and he’s trying to get better.” That felt like a lie, coming right out of her own mouth. “We’re doing our best with him, and that means you have to work with him. Is that gonna be a problem?” 

“No, no!” Spinner held his hands up as if in defense, “No, not at all! It’s just, y’know. A bit weird. Guy’s a real big flirt, is all.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll mind him.” Vaggie adjusted the fuzzy wristbands she was wearing, not really even looking at Spinner right now. There was a little niggle in the back of her mind that told her to really mind Angel, threaten him if she had to, but Charlie must have seen the angry look on her face. Quickly, the taller woman had grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.

Charlie bubbled with giggly energy, and she assured the bird, “He’s a good guy. He won’t bother you.”

That was just a straight up lie. Vaggie suppressed a groan. This was going to be tough.

She’ll have to talk with Charlie later.

\---

It was getting a little too chummy around here! Alastor chuckled to himself, walking around the hotel halls and twirling his cane. As he entered into the foyer, he saw Angel and Husk at the bar chattering away. At least it looked like that dapper poker feline was suffering at the hands of the arachnid.

Niffty was zooming about, always finding something to clean, rodents to squash. Those ladies who ran this place were dealing with the bird.

And yet--it felt too friendly around here. When Alastor had let that bird in he’d expected an immediate sort of response. And yet it seemed like the shrike demon was actually trying to behave. That was boring! It had been three days and nothing’s happened! Alastor had to do something before he went completely mad!

But what? Sure he could so some seeds with this Spinner fellow but he was not a man who enjoyed slow burns often. The thrill of the hunt was one thing, but this was an entirely different beast. 

Wait--hunting. Yes! That’s precisely what he could do to liven things up around here. And he knew just where to look...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not tonight. Not again. Not tonight. Not anymore...

Clubs like these were not Alastor’s ‘scene’, so to speak. However he knew for a fact he’d find what he was looking for here, no doubt about it! The music here was, at the  _ very _ least, all acoustic. None of that wubbing or dubbing in those too-bright clubs run by Valentino, that rat. At least he wouldn’t see that overgrown roach at a place like  _ this. _

He found it just a few blocks away, across from a voodoo shop he liked to frequent. Some kind of 1960s bar sequestered in a corner of the street, darkened and in dire need of repair. Several cars were scattered about, all in various states of disrepair and several just leaking fluids out from beneath them. One car, which looked distinctly 19 _ 70 _ , was completely stripped bare of its wheels and everything that had been inside.

Neon lights advertised booze and music, and Alastor had to suppress a chuckle. Was that all these people flocked to? Oh well, at the very least he’d find what he needed inside. 

The door jingled as he entered, his shadow stretching out beyond the doorway in front of him. Despite all the cars the bar was not at all packed. Maybe five demons that he could see, of several shapes. None of them looked particularly troublesome, just some drunkards whose “righteous” beliefs had gotten them into trouble. Oh, what  _ “rotten luck” _ it would seem! Oh, how these fools have fallen.

Not what he was here for, though. There was a specific fellow he was looking for, and this was his haunt of choice. How does one not immediately find a man that immense…? 

Oh well. Might as well have a seat and see what’s on tap! Alastor hummed delightedly to himself as he took his own seat at the bar. Some of the demons, immediately sensing the danger of this situation, leapt quickly away. A couple even fled the bar entirely, and Alastor let himself chuckle a bit at the reactions. Such a shame that he didn’t even need to do anything anymore, even if it was amusing to see. 

“Hello, good sir!” Alastor’s voice boomed over the remaining chatter, making the other demons flinch and stare, wide-eyed, at him. “I’ll have a gin and tonic!”

The demon tending the bar didn't look at him. He was some sort of lobster fellow, though he resembled a zombie demon than anything and probably looked more dead in life than he does now—Alastor wasn’t one to make assumptions though. He just called it as he saw it, and this man had a shitty life. Still not good enough to bring back to the hotel. 

It definitely needed to be someone who’d clash. With Vagatha or with that Spinner gentleman, it didn’t matter. Just someone who’d cause a ruckus. Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be anyone in this spot. What a shame, he might actually have to try with this one. Who knew he’d find the one place in Hell where none of the demons would—

A loud bang of a door from the end of the hall called Alastor’s attention. The harsh and abrupt noise was followed by heavy, stomping footsteps and within a few seconds, a large bipedal cockroach ducked into the room. Instantly, Alastor’s forever-present smile stretched impossibly further across his face. 

_ Oh, perfect.  _ Not at all the most creatively manifested demon, he looked like a common cockroach on steroids, but he would do nicely.

Alastor knocked his drink back and tapped the cup on the table. Time to get to work. 

He stood up, twirling his staff as it poofed into his hand. “Hello, sir!” he said cheerfully as he approached the hulking blattoid demon. The rather uninteresting-looking demon flinched slightly at him and for a moment Alastor was certain he’d run away too, but he was so delightfully  _ surprised  _ when the gentleman said “Who the fuck are you?”

“Why!” Alastor chuckled, the sound tiny and fuzzy with radio static, “I’m your one shot at redemption, sir! Have you ever felt like you didn’t  _ belong _ in Hell? Or, perhaps, you’ve felt like you needed a space for yourself to sin in peace! Either way, I’ve got the perfect place for you!”

The cockroach let all four fists down and his mandibles chittered curiously. Alastor noticed that they looked a bit like—mutton chops?

“...this place a hotel?” he asked, his antennae twitching and curling toward the Radio Demon, and Alastor adjusted his die and let out a soft chuckle.

“Why, yes it is! The Hazbin Hotel! Absolutely the perfect place to go when you’re down on your luck. Don’t worry, the staff are pushovers!”

For someone so unable to physically emotte, Alastor swore he saw the roach actually frown. Strange, he didn’t appear to have a mouth. “And this is a place for redemption?” 

“It sure is.” Alastor twirled his staff again and tossed it away. It poofed into thin air before it got too far away. “And there is a room with your name on it!” He was really selling this place for sure! It took more than that to convince a demon, however, and Alastor was willing to play the long con for the sake of—

“Okay.” The blattoid man chittered, wings fluttering beneath the sheath on his back, “I’ll do it.” 

Alastor hummed, and a spark of static betrayed his confusion and surprise, “Really?”

“Yep. Could do with a change of scenery.” The cockroach behemoth lifted one pair of hands and offered him two thumbs up, “Sounds like fun.”

Alastor spent a few seconds processing that. No ridicule, no laughter? That was no fun. “Just like that?”

“Sure, I mean, why the hell not?'' The roach shrugged both sets of shoulders, all four hands coming up in a passive gesture. “Don’t got much goin’ for me here. Meet new people, let of steam maybe. If I end up gettin’ redeemed, will, fuck it, right?”

Oh. Well, he might have made a weird choice here then. Alastor could still stir up trouble this way, couldn’t he?

Yes. He could.

———

It was quiet today. No Husk, neither of those bitches, no Cherri. If Angel was a lesser man he’d say he felt a bit lonely but, no, he was a working man! He had his ways of getting attention. And as far as he knew, there was always someone to find to have fun with, and maybe get Val a little bit more moolah to call it a good night. 

That pretty bird, Spitter, he was still around tonight. Angel knew because he could hear the singing through his door. What a funky little song, and annoying too. Really, the spider wouldn’t bother otherwise but he was so bored with staying at this hotel. If he left that dumb moth broad would kick him out for sure. 

He knocked on Spitter’s door while he adjusted his fluffy bust with a separate pair of hands. Gotta make a good first impression with this new guy. 

From the other side the singing stopped, and Angel put on his best smile when the door opened. “Hey, sweet thing~” he leaned down, smiling when the fluffy blue bird looked a bit stunned at his arrival, “Couldn’t help but notice ya were stuck here too. Wanna make a night of it together?”

Spitter blanched and took a step back, shaking his head. For a second Angel was certain the door was going to be slammed in his face and the night was going to be boring as fuck. However after a second, the bird decided to explain himself, “I’m uh—not—I don’t swing that way, Mr. Dust. B-but it’s fine that you do!” He spoke fast and stuttered through his speech. Angel scoffed. Figures. 

“Awright,” Angel stood back up, “if ya insist, but I  _ am _ the best time in Hell, pretty boy~” Might as well keep selling it. There were enough bicurious folk down here after all. 

As Angel stood up and took a step toward his room again, he flinched a bit when he heard Spitter call out, “Wait! Actually—” Angel smiled. That was quicker than usual— “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a little bit, about the owners of this hotel?” 

Oh. Well, no law against that. “Is your money any good?” Angel spun around again, a pair of hands on his hips. “My time ain’t cheap, buddy, and I’m always on the clock.” He rubbed his fingers together in the universal gesture for cash money. 

“Uh, sure?” Spitter stepped back and opened his door further, gesturing inside, “I just got a few questions. I can totally pay you for your time, brother.” 

A macho fella. Certainly didn’t have the looks of one, more like someone Angel would see in a 1990s boy band. Sounds like this guy was just lying to himself. Oh well, money was money and Angel was always sorely in need of cash. 

He bent down and stepped inside, and took a few easy steps toward the bed, plopping down and leaning back on his lower hands. “So what’s the deal, bud?”

Spitter walked over to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer. From inside he plucked out a cigar and leaned against the wall, lighting up without even once offering anything to Angel. Rude. “Those girls that run this hotel. Vaggie, and uh…” he tapped his temple a little bit, a few embers falling from the cigar. “Uh, the princess.”

“Charlie,” Angel flinched a bit. Wow, he actually remembered the broad’s name. Weird. “Whadda ‘bout ‘em?”

“Just wondering if you’ve known them long. Especially Vaggie. She’s super cute.”

Angel frowned a bit. “Usually I don’ like givin’ people bad news, bud, but Vags is a  _ huuuuuge _ dyke.”

“Yeah, I heard.” Spitter puffed on his cigar some more, “I just think she’s cute, okay? No big deal. I was just thinking that maybe…” he paused for a second and thought again. This boy spent so much time thinking, “Well, like, what do you think about this whole redemption thing? She seems way too smart to believe in that stuff.”

Yeah, he couldn’t really deny that. “Maybe she’s got pussy in her ears.” 

For a second Spitter’s face twisted into a shocked expression, and then he asked with that dumb ‘stricken’ look on his face, “Wait, she’s actually in a relationship with the princess?”

“Uh, yeah?” Angel offered a small shrug, “What, you some kinda homophobe?”

“No, no!” Spitter waved his hands as if to defend himself, but Angel was already giving him such an unamused look, “It just—well, like…” The bird sighed and rubbed the back of his head, “She just didn’t seem like the type I guess.” That look of disappointment. It was different, surely, that what Angel was familiar with but he still didn’t like seeing it. Especially not on some pretty boy talking about a chick  _ clearly _ in a relationship with someone else.

Yeah, they were done here. Angel stood up and dusted himself off, adjusting his short shorts. “Listen, bud,” he looked down at the little bird, not really trying to put up a front anymore,  _ not _ with this chad, “I’m givin’ ya a verbal warnin’. I don’ like these girls, but if ya think you’re gonna try to fuck wit’ em ‘cause they’re dykes you gotta ‘nother thing comin’, got that?”

Spitter blanched again, “Wh-what? When did I ever—?”

“Ya did.” Angel crossed both arms over his chest and his stomach, and for good measure he also pulled out his third pair of arms and crossed them over his hips, “Ya don’t think ya did, but I know you people. Don’t get it twisted, I can’t fuckin’  _ stand _ these prissy bitches, but if ya think yer gonna get yer dick wet wit’em, I’ll shoot ya full’a holes and fit ya with a fine new pair of concrete shoes. Then we’ll take a trip to the Lake a’ Fire. Do I make myself clear?” 

Spitter stared up at him, eyes wide and feathers shaking on end. “Uh-u-understood, Mister Dust.” 

“Good.” 

Done with this whole situation, Angel Dust turned on his heel and stomped out of the room. As he slammed the door shut behind him he nearly knocked into Miss Prissy Bitch herself, Charlie. “Angel!” she startled, then composed herself and smiled, “Good afternoon! Are you making friends?”

Naive as usual. This time Angel wasn’t so sure he enjoyed that about this situation. “No. Just business.”

That smile quickly faded, and she glanced over at Room 70. Angel turned again and went over to his room. Part of him considered telling them about this guy, but as head-in-the-clouds as the princess was she wasn’t stupid. Neither was Vaggie for that matter. He’d keep an eye on the pretty boy chad, though, and do well to keep that promise he’d made with him.

Goddamn, he hated those types of men. 

**Author's Note:**

> what did he do this time
> 
> you locked yourself in your room
> 
> that won't help you here


End file.
